The present invention relates to articles of apparel and in particular to articles of headwear convertible between hats or head coverings and neckwarmers. The invention also relates to methods of converting hats into neckwarmers, and neckwarmers into hats.
While the present invention relates to headwear for numerous occasions, it is particularly well suited for the ski-wear industry. A typical skier, once fully garbed for the slopes, may encounter numerous temperature and/or environment changes during a day on the slopes. This may in part result from the numerous different environments encountered by the skier including: (a) an enclosed lift or related structures; (b) upper mountain extreme cold and winds; (c) increasing temperature while descending down the slopes; and (d) valley temperatures and winds. Further, extreme weather changes may also result in such temperature and/or environment changes.
Generally, skiers appear to prefer knitted "stocking cap" type headwear. Such headwear is comfortable, warm, light, easily washed, attractive and durable. However, as skiers, fully garbed for skiing, encounter significant temperature fluctuations in their environment, when they move up and down a mountain or into and out of lift structures and the like, sometimes they prefer wearing their hat and sometimes they prefer that the hat be removed.
When the hat is removed, problems of inconvenience may arise. Ski-wear often can be very close or "tight" in fit in order to accommodate a skier's physical exertions and reduce wind resistance. A heavy knit ski cap would not comfortably fit into the pocket of many ski outfits, or if it did it might cause an unattractive and perhaps inconvenient or bothersome bulge.
Further, since skiers may exert considerable energy during a portion of their activities, significant body heat may be generated. This may induce some skiers, either during portions of their run or otherwise, to open a portion of their outer clothing to cool off, or prevent from becoming overheated. For example, a skier might unzip or unbutton his or her outer coat. This latter, however, may expose the skier's throat and neck to the outside air. The skier may then become cooled off too much or too quickly.
Numerous articles of headwear capable of being utilized as simply a head covering, or head and neck covering, or head, neck and face covering, have been developed. Generally, these suffer from the disadvantages of being cumbersome, relatively uncomfortable, too large and bulky, or difficult to use.